I couldn't find the discussion thread for this song, so I hope you all won't mind if I start one.

When I heard this song, I immediately thought of New Orleans. Of course, when I consider song intrepretation, I think about something Lou Reed said, "Just because I wrote it doesn't mean I know what it means", so there's really no telling.

"She's mostly gone any from here" Personally, I love New Orleans, and I'm sad to say it really has not been the same since the storm. And, of course, "Watching you drown. . ." could be literal.

"I tried to stay away you know just in case." The bars do not close in New Orleans. I know people who grew up there, and they started drinking in elementary school! It's a beautiful place, but it's hard to avoid temptation.

There are some more potential connections, but really it's just a feeling to me, nothing objective.

SWINDLEY EDIT: THREAD TITLE

miss_hazy edit: title spelling error correction



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2008 01:07PM by miss_hazy.

This song is something that is probably personal to Trent but i thought of the idea of self-sacrifice. Perhaps a very devoted friend whom despite personal feelings, goes to "drown" with someone close to them in order to help them overcome some kind of obstacle, most likely emotional or personal. This album overall seems very retrospective to me, as many of the songs are in past tense, and that fact makes me feel that this song also deals with the reconciliation of that "drowning" (She's mostly gone...I'm getting by another way...come to realize we all have our place). However, despite all the possible bitterness and hurt that stems from that sacrifice, he is still "staying right beside you" and feels the relationship is worth fighting and "drowning" for

im shallow, i think the song is amazing, end of.

More often than not I find myself interpreting various NIN tunes as Trent talking to Trent. In LITS, the strongest part of oneself taking care of a weaker, more vulnerable side. There is this feeling I get of the unknown future, but whatever happens he (the strength) won't desert himself (the vulnerable).

Incubo posted:

I just have to say that before I listen to this song my favourite was hurt, but Lights In The Sky beat hurt so hard, such a beautiful song, such beautiful vocals, this is my favourite NIN song

For sure, it truly is a great song. It's a shame that it isn't part of the LitS tour. I can imagine it, Trent alone on a dark stage with a piano, spotlight on him, performing Lights in the Sky solo as everybody has left the stage. It would be a perfect closer.

This song reminds me of October 14th when these 'aliens' should've arrived. I love the lyrics of this song.

I'm a teenager and I'm... really... always confused and and I worry constantly about what is going to happen to me and who I am, so this song is very comforting to me. Someday I want to learn piano. And I'll play this song. To me it's an auditory hug, and an unexpected one, too. I love how the album art matches.

ihatecrayons posted:

scott_pawsey posted:

Incubo posted:

I just have to say that before I listen to this song my favourite was hurt, but Lights In The Sky beat hurt so hard, such a beautiful song, such beautiful vocals, this is my favourite NIN song

For sure, it truly is a great song. It's a shame that it isn't part of the LitS tour. I can imagine it, Trent alone on a dark stage with a piano, spotlight on him, performing Lights in the Sky solo as everybody has left the stage. It would be a perfect closer.

I agree. It would be beautiful. I'd love it. I really wish it was a part of this tour (considering, you know, the name of the tour... lol)

i would prefer he stopped playing hurt and replaced it with LITS...closer can go to btw.

gastoniafreethinkers posted:

"She's mostly gone any from here" Personally, I love New Orleans, and I'm sad to say it really has not been the same since the storm. And, of course, "Watching you drown. . ." could be literal.

'She's mostly gone, some other place...'
That said, I think this idea was touched upon on ETS when the Slip first came out... don't really remember everything that was said, but I remember that the artwork for the song was compared to a hurricane, and then the subjective 'meaning' came flooding out (at least for me).

I too love that Reed quote, artists often (Trent of course is no exception; esp. Ghosts and YZ) 'go with the flow' of creation - start with an idea, and see where it leads. But I love the New Orleans interpretation for this song... it's just lovely. I think of the lights being helicopters and other rescuers for the people trapped below. Also along these lines, Trent in all probability knew that this would be NiN's last large arena tour, and in that respect the song takes on many more parallel facets of meaning...

Also '...Everything they whispered in our ear/ Is coming true/ Try to justify the things/ They used to do'
The whispers seemingly could be what was really said about NO after Katrina: that God smite the city for all her corruption and sin...
Quite interesting concept.
*VC*

thefugitive posted:

I think the literal part refers to sun and the stars.
Agree?

i agree... but i believe that the song is about spending a whole night with someone... no sun involved
the girl that is mentioned is going through something that he already experienced, something that causes shame, sorrow... this girl is running away from something, and looks like he is enjoying the last night that he is going to see her in his life, and he tries to make her understand that is not so terrible, that he survived and so can her... well, that's what i get from the music and the lyrics.

ihatecrayons posted:

scott_pawsey posted:

Incubo posted:

I just have to say that before I listen to this song my favourite was hurt, but Lights In The Sky beat hurt so hard, such a beautiful song, such beautiful vocals, this is my favourite NIN song

For sure, it truly is a great song. It's a shame that it isn't part of the LitS tour. I can imagine it, Trent alone on a dark stage with a piano, spotlight on him, performing Lights in the Sky solo as everybody has left the stage. It would be a perfect closer.

I agree. It would be beautiful. I'd love it. I really wish it was a part of this tour (considering, you know, the name of the tour... lol)

I'm hoping it'll pop up on the smaller tour in April/this summer. You never know!!

i agree with kit. i relate in those ways as well. i member hearing this song and reading the lyrics and seeing this vision of sadness and loss with someone and probly the use of self destruction involved. its a classic nin song cuz trents songs always have the reference to a "she" could be for real love or for love of the drug. trents the only one who knows but as an art song point of view everyone has something inside of them that can relate to trents lyrics. its releiving to sing and express and release yourself

i love sanctified too.

scott_pawsey posted:

Incubo posted:

I just have to say that before I listen to this song my favourite was hurt, but Lights In The Sky beat hurt so hard, such a beautiful song, such beautiful vocals, this is my favourite NIN song

For sure, it truly is a great song. It's a shame that it isn't part of the LitS tour. I can imagine it, Trent alone on a dark stage with a piano, spotlight on him, performing Lights in the Sky solo as everybody has left the stage. It would be a perfect closer.

I went to the last show of the tour in Las Vegas and I was SURE he was going to play it at the very end of the show but he never did. It was sad enough without the song being played because of Alessandro and Josh leaving for good and hearing Trent talk about how next years shows will be completely different (as in a 4-some) and everything reconstructed - in other words, if you attended a show in this tour, it was probably the last time you will see a NIN show as extravagant as it was. Everything was really sad at the end of the show and when he walked up to the piano and started playing everyone off stage I was almost positive he was going to sing "Lights in the Sky" but he never did. I wonder if he was too sad to sing it, or, it simply wasn't in the set list to be played. Who knows - all I can say is that if he did decide to play it I was for sure going to tear-up.

I have to say that the first or second time I listened to "Lights in the Sky" I teared-up bad. lol I really like the song, but it's almost too personal to listen to all the time. I suppose "Hurt" is the same way, I teared-up when I heard that song for the first time, but I can somehow manage to listen to "Hurt" more frequently than "Lights in the Sky" for some reason.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2008 07:49PM by bopptb.

I'm going to weigh in on the lover/friend side of the debate, although I honestly think it's just about devotion, plain and simple.

I would be one happy girl if Trent would play this next time around. So beautiful it brings tears to my eyes every time i listen to it. We all know Hurt is a beautiful song too, but please play Lights in the Sky.